Author: Emalynne Wilder

Book: Infinite Dolls

tl;dr recommendation: grab your tissues, this NA novel is an completely beautiful cryfest!

Book Summary:

My heart still beats despite its quietness. It dreams. It wonders. And most dangerous of all, it hopes.
~
Everly Brighton’s expected to die before her twenty-first birthday, at the hands of a rare medical condition. Under the watchful eye of her father more is being stolen from her than years. Everly longs for connection and freedom she has never been allowed due to her dad’s controlling routine. Time ticking away she begins to defy his rules and make up her own. One star-crossed meeting grants Everly her greatest desire when she befriends Callum Trovatto, a grief-stricken med student needful of his own blissful upswing in the wake of his mother’s death.

INFINITE DOLLS is a story of grief, faith, and how the power of deep-rooted love encourages living in the preciousness of Now.

Longer Review:

4 stars!

Well, this is a cryfest. There is nothing traditional or usual about this impassioned love story. Which makes sense as there is nothing usual about Everly Anne’s condition or Callum’s love for her. Callum’s a med student who, while following in his father’s medical footsteps, has no desire to follow in his father’s drunken footsteps. He’s trying to blaze his own path and isn’t focused on anything other than studying. However, when the new assignment is to interview Everly to attempt to diagnose her, all of his logic disappears with the first glance into her eyes.

There’s obviously something physically wrong with Everly, but even though Callum’s grade – and future – depends on finding out what that something is, he’d rather learn about Everly herself. The relationship between the two takes a completely circuitous route, but it’s beautiful, pure and so heartfelt that I was perfectly fine with taking the long road to get there.

The couple finds themselves up against so many obstacles – Everly’s father, her condition, Callum’s schooling – but neither of them can rid themselves of the intense connection that they feel for each other. It’s like their hearts were meant to collide to form a whole one – beating wildly everytime they’re together.

This story is emotionally gutting but sweetly beautiful. Callum’s love for Everly Anne never wavers and never fades. He tailors the love to her needs and in the process he pushes aside his own wants, needs and future. I felt honored to take the journey with them both and let my tears flow freely. This isn’t the typical happily-ever-after feel good romance, but it’s a real romance that shows heartbreak, loss and utter joy.

[I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review]